Mail receptacle



March 24, 1970 A. sous 3,502,261

I MAIL RECEP'IACLE Filed Sept. 25, 1967 INVENTOR ANTONIO SOLIS United States Patent 3,502,261 MAIL RECEPTACLE Antonio Solis, 2767 Benrus Blvd., San Antonio, Tex. 78222 Filed Sept. 25, 1967, Ser. No. 670,250 Int. Cl. A47g 29/12 US. Cl. 232-33 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mail receptacle comprising an elongated body portion including a floor section, sidewalls, a rear wall and an arcuate roof, a hooded rainproof lockable door closing a rectangular access opening. An arcuate mail chute formed by the roof and a uniformly spaced paralleling security shield extending from the sidewall internally of the elongated body to an apex substantially coinciding with the center line of the roof section; an exterior outgoing receptacle attached to the elongated body opposite the mail chute and a postmans signal flag movably mounted adjacent said outgoing mail receptacle.

Mail receptacles of numerous designs and configurations are well known and widely used. The conventional urban mailbox constructed with elongated body portion with a hinged door and with a hasp capable of receiving a lock to secure the door. A postmans signal flag is recognized to be basically well known in the art. The large mail receptacles widely used by the postal service for mailing outgoing mail incorporates a security mail slot normally hinged and secured in the closed position by a pendulum like weighted action.

The conventional urban mailbox is extremely incon venient for the postman should he lock a box with the padlock after depositing mail. A home delivery box utilizing the secured principles presently employed by the postal service would be exceedingly complicated to construct and expensive to produce.

This new and novel mail receptacle is designed to accomplish the secure features of the more expensive construction at a low cost of manufacture, yet be relatively theft-proof and secure from vandalism.

This new structure can be formed of sheet metal simply and inexpensively incorporating the normally closed water-proof hinged, locked door. The boxs position is at the street or roadside with its longest dimension paralleling the curb. The mail chute extends the entire length of the body and receives letters, papers, and small packages by merely accelerating them over the apex of the mail chute where they drop into the interior of the elongated body.

The present urban mail receptacle in the normally unlocked conditions is readily susceptible of theft or more often mischevious vandalism by children. Secure mailboxes known to the art are inherently expensive to construct.

An object of this invention was to design a rainproof, theftproof, vandal proof, mail receptacle of low construction cost.

Another object was to design a secure mail deposit slot free of moving parts or complicated mechanical action.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a study of the following detailed description, drawings and claims.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view illustrating principally the hooded, hinged door and the elongated mail chute extending the length of the mail receptacle.

FIG. 2 is a planned view of the side of the receptacle opposite the mail chute illustrating principally the ex- 3,502,261 Patented Mar. 24, 1970 Eerior outgoing mail receptacle and the postmans signal FIG. 3 is the front planned view with the door closed illustrating the rain shield hooding the door and the hinged rain shield projecting over the door hinge.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the elongated body taken on line 44 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now in detail to the several views wherein like referenced characters refer to identical or similar components throughout the entire description. Reference is made particularly to FIGS. 1 and 4 to illustrate a method of constructing the mail receptacle of this invention. The elongated body 10 may be constructed from a single sheet of galvanized sheet iron, aluminum or other materials of suitable thickness. In the preferred embodiment the sheet was cut to the desired length and bent to form a floor section 11, a slot sidewall 12 bent arcuately inward to form a security shield 13. This shield 13 is of sufficient length to extend to approximately the center line of the roof of the mail receptacle where it terminates at an apex 14. The galvanized sheet metal was bent upward along the floor section 11 to form a sidewall 15. The sheet is further bent in a generally arcuate configuration to form the roof section 16. In the preferred embodiment, the outer edge 17 of the roof section 16 should preferably extend over the junction line of the slot sidewall 12 and the security shield 13. This overhanging of the outer edge 17 insures the secure rainproof mail chute 18 which is formed by the security shield 13 and the arcuate roof section 16. This configuration of the mail chute 18 prevents the undesired inserting of a hand of a pilferer and also prevents rain from blowing into the mail chute 18. The rear wall19 of the mail receptacle may be attached to the elongated body 10 by any of the conventional fastening means such as crimping, welding or riveting. Referring to FIG. 1 and 3, the forward wall 20 of the receptacle may be secured to the elongated body 10 utilizing fastening means comparable to those used for the rear wall 18. Referring particularly to FIG. 1, the forward wall 20 includes a substantially rectangular opening 21, a section of sheet metal is utilized to construct a door 22 which is pivotally attached to the floor section 11 by means of a hinge 23. With particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the bottom edge of the door 22 arcs outward adjacent to hinge 23 to form a hinge rainshield 24. Secured to the front side of the door is a door hasp 25 and secured to the forward wall 20 is a wall hasp 26. Referring to FIG. 2, these two hasps may be secured by a lock 27 when the door 22 is closed. Rigidly secured to the forward wall 20 projecting over the rectangular opening 21 is a rain shield 28. Particularly referring to FIG. 2 mounted on the exterior sidewall 15 of the elongated body portion 10 opposite the mail chute 18 is a postmans signal flag 29 and an exterior outgoing mail receptacle 30. The postmans signal fiag 29 is pivotly secured to the elongated body 10 by a flag bracket 31 which is attached to the elongated body 10 by any of the numerous conventional fastening means, such as riveting or welding. The postmans signal flag 29 comprises a flagstafr" 32, including an elongated slot 33 adapted to receive a flagstaff pin 34. This bracket 31, slot 33, pin 34 arrangement permits the postmans signal flag 29 being lifted and placed in a horizontal position when not in use, or to signal the postman, it may be lifted and the staff allowed to drop into the bracket 31 into the erect position. In the preferred embodiment, the flag 35 was constructed at right angles to the staff 32 which would facilitate signalling the postman when the mail receptacle is positioned along the curb With the slot sidewalls 12 adjacent to the road or street.

The secure aspect of the mail chute 18 is best rep- 3 resented in FIG. 4, where the cooperating effect of the arcuate roof 16, and the security shield 13 terminating at its apex 14 and the outer edge 17 of the roof is illustrated. The cooperating effect of this arrangement of components creates a mail chute 18 which is pilfer proof and rainproof.

In utilizing the mail receptacle of this invention, the receptacle should be mounted on a suitable support, the prescribed distance from the roadside or curb with the mail chute 18 parallel with and adjacent to the curb. The door 22 of the mail receptacle would normally be secured in the closed position by a lock 27. The postman can place the mail in the receptacle by accelerating it into the mail chute 18, moving it over the apex 14 of the security shield 13. The owner of the receptacle can unlock 27 of the door 22 and remove the contents when desired. The mail placed in the receptacle is secured from rain, theft or vandalism. The outgoing mail receptacle 30 can be utilized for posting mail. The outgoing letter is placed in the receptacle 30 and the postmans signal flag 29 raised. After the letter is removed, the flag is lowered as is the present practice in the postal service.

Having described the preferred embodiment of my invention and its operation in detail, what is desired to be claimed is all equivalent constructions and modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mail receptacle comprising:

(a) a substantially flat floor section,

(b) a substantially fiat sidewall projecting upward from said floor section substantially normal to said floor section,

(c) a substantially arcuate roof section projecting from said sidewall over said floor section,

(d) a substantially fiat slot sidewall projecting upward from said floor section substantially normal to said floor section and parallel to opposite said substantially fiat sidewall,

(e) an arcuate security shield projecting inward from said substantially flat slot sidewall, the line of said inward arcuate projection of said security shield originating at a point below and interior of said arcuate roof section, said security shield substantially paralleling said roof section in its arcuate projection,

(f) a forward wall including an opening therein,

(g) a hinged door enclosing said opening,

(h) said door including an arcuate projection forming a hinge rain shield,

(i) a substantially flat horizontal portion projecting outward and downward from said forward wall projecting over said door in a closed position, and

(j) two side portions projecting downward from said horizontal portion substantially paralleling said substantially fiat sidewall and said substantially flat slotted sidewall respectively.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said arcuate security shield terminates in an apex substantially coinciding with the center line of said arcuate roof section.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said arcuate roof section terminates in an outer edge projecting over said substantially fiat slot sidewall.

4. The invention of claim 1 including a rear wall secured to the elongated body formed by said fioor section, said sidewall, said slot sidewall, said security shield and said roof section.

5. The invention of claim 1 including:

(a). a postmans signal flag tiltably mounted on said substantially flat sidewall,

(b) a substantially square box like outgoing mail receptacle rigidly secured to the said substantially flat sidewall adjacent said postmans signal flag.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 476,692 6/1892 Shuman 23245 687,528 11/1901 Hawley 232-45 749,154 1/1904 Benton 23245 749,428 1/ 1904 Dusenbury 232-34 1,636,329 7/1927 Sherry 23233 1,714,543 5/1929 Blaser 23217 1,810,769 6/1931 Jaden 23233 2,555,738 6/1951 Gadda 23234 677,763 7/1901 Henry 232-33 FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

